City has the lowest number of jobs to homes in North County
City’s low jobs-to-homes ratio means residents are commuting out of town, increasing traffic and pollution

In Oceanside, there are far more homes than jobs, an imbalance that some say must be corrected if the city hopes to meet its potential as a thriving marketplace and desirable place to live.

A 1-to-1 jobs-to-housing ratio is considered optimal; Oceanside’s 0.64 jobs for every home is the lowest in North County. That worries some city leaders because it means residents have to commute elsewhere in the county to find work.

“It’s always been a concern of mine,” said Councilman Jerry Kern. “We have a potential to do much better and we’re trying to attract more businesses but it’s very competitive.”

According to numbers issued by the San Diego Association of Governments, Oceanside had 42,146 jobs and 66,312 homes in 2013. Other North County cities — such as Escondido, San Marcos and Vista — have more ideal 1-to-1 ratios, according to the agency.

Erik Bruvold, president of the National University System Institute for Policy Research, said an imbalance in the ratio is a concern because it means people have to drive farther from one place to another for work, leading to more traffic on roads, higher emissions and other problems.

But those numbers have to be seen in a regional context, Bruvold said. The question is whether there are enough homes and jobs in the region, he said.

“It’s not necessarily better to be over (to have far more jobs than homes in a city) because that means you are not providing enough housing,” Bruvold said.

Oceanside’s housing-to-jobs imbalance dates back more than a decade, according to SANDAG’s data. In 2000, the city had 0.5 homes for every job (29,827 jobs and 59,581 homes.)

Oceanside Economic Development Manager Tracey Bohlen recently presented the data to the city’s Economic Development Commission, asking the panel to be mindful of the numbers when making decisions, particularly zoning changes that would replace business areas with high-density residential.

Bohlen said there is some good news on the horizon because the city is expecting new businesses — such as a Walmart, a hotel and several restaurants — to open soon in Oceanside and generate more than 400 new jobs.

However, Bruvold said Oceanside is at a disadvantage recruiting larger employers because of its geography.

With Camp Pendleton to the north and the ocean to the west, potential employers have a smaller pool of workers to draw from, he said.

City Manager Steve Jepsen said planning decisions made long ago probably contributed to the current imbalance by converting land previously zoned industrial to residential. The long-term challenge is to bring more jobs, not just to Oceanside, but to North County, he said.

“Sometimes people put too much emphasis on that number,” Jepsen said. “The economy is regional. There are a lot of people who live in Oceanside that work in communities nearby.”

Jepsen said North County mayors are working on a plan to market the region to attract companies.

Last year, the five North County cities linked by state Route 78 — Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido and Carlsbad — agreed to hire a consultant to develop a branding campaign for the region. The campaign aims to attract new businesses and boost economy, officials said.

Kern said he sees opportunities to attract companies from Orange County in the north and San Diego in the south because of the rising cost of doing business in those areas.

Kern and fellow Councilman Gary Felien issued an open letter earlier this month to San Diego businesses asking them to relocate to Oceanside after San Diego made a controversial move to raise its linkage fees, which raise money to build low-income housing.

“I’m not worried about having too much housing; people need housing,” Kern said. “The overall answer is to attract more businesses.”